Ms. Superpark 5: Day 1

It’s official, June Mountain is the place to be this week for the world’s top female riders and tag-along bachelors alike because Snowboarder Magazine’s 5th annual Ms. Superpark has just kicked off. About 75 members of the bees knees of boarding checked in this morning and it would appear that they’re pretty stoked on what Jeremy Cooper and the June Park Crew have put together for them.

Situated at the top of the mountain is an uncanny line of jibs that resembles something more like a slice of Legoland than your average terrain park. The first feature is an oversized bonk on one side with a crane arm extending up and out, holding a wrecking ball on a chain. Most onlookers would probably assume that some sort of construction was going on up there in spite of the destruction the Roxy team dealt this feature in the afternoon. Next sits a giant steel parking cone like object, perfect for all sorts of wall-ridery.

Also in the top section is a step down table and channel gap over a quarterpipe, but the true hero of this week is destined to be what lies next. Two takeoffs sit opposite each other, accessible from either side because of a conveniently located saddle bowl. Hitting either side means you land within inches of the other takeoff, perfect for some Cirque-de-Soleil symmetry. But that’s not even the half of it, well actually that’s precisely half of it, because the downhill side of this all-in-one feature could be one of the longest hip landings ever created, again with takeoffs on both sides of it. The progressive thing about this is that the landing sends riders down the fall line of the hill, rather than across it, resulting in less edge catching and more action.

Many bangers were put down on Day 1, but this ain’t Cliff Notes so you’ll just have to wait a little longer to get the whole story. Rest assured heavy hitters like Alexis Waite, Tara Dakides, Izzy Lalive, and Hana Beaman are doing what they do best up here, and rookie sensations like Bryn Valaika and Raewyn Reid are jamming their feet in the door. Tomorrow, Janna Meyen Weatherby shows up fresh off her victory at the Roxy Chicken Jam, so things can only get better.